December 11, 2006
Well Hung Over
Along with the good cheer and good food that come with the holiday season, comes the annual office holiday party and its obligatory phony smiles and eventual hang-over. This year, Gothamist Health woke up with such a headache after the company shindig that we sat up in bed, cursing modern medicine for having yet to devise a hang-over remedy that actually works. And considering that the morning-after woes may be responsible for almost $4 billion in lost earnings every year, one would think that scientists would be busy trying to come up with one.
Hangovers are probably due to a number of factors, including the toxic byproducts of alcohol metabolism, dehydration (because we all know that once you break the seal, its all over), and vitamin depletion. The most common symptoms include headache, a dry mouth, nausea, dizziness, and fatigue. In sum, you just feel like crap, which is no real surprise given that you just spent the night imbibing a poison and dancing your ass off with your tie around your head (yup, you were that guy).
Some alcohols definitely cause worse hangovers than others thanks to impurities known as congeners. In fact, ethanol itself may not be responsible for a hangover at all. Vodka and gin (clear liquors) contain less congeners than colored spirits like whiskey and rum, leading to fewer and less severe hangovers. This variation in the level of impurities is due to different filtering techniques, with the congeners actually adding additional flavors, smells, and colors. Older alcohols may also get you sicker faster as they're already filling up with toxic byproducts thanks to their reaction with oxygen.
We've always thought a good cup of black coffee in the morning would work to clear your head and get you back in the swing of things. But a mug of the stuff may worsen things by further dehydrating your already parched self. Some friends have advised nursing a hangover with a beer or Bloody Mary or a cup of New England Clam Chowder! Our own tried and true hangover helper has been drinking a flat cola (set out the night before) and wolfing down a greasy breakfast in the morning. Despite a review in the British Medical Journal last year that suggests that there are no cures for hangovers other than to practice abstinence or moderation, we're relying on you, our readers, to send us some tips on how to stave off the morning-after pains. As for the morning-after regrets, you're on your own.
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What works for me is a bagel, and some quality time on the can (in that order). Every weekend it sets me straight.
What's always worked for me is, before going to bed, take two Advil and drink two large glasses of water. This assumes, of course, that you're not too blasted to work the child-proof cap on the Advil.
Whatever you do, remember to get out off your bed to puke.
We don't want anyone choking on their own vomit while asleep in a drunken stupor.
Two packets of Emergen-C mixed with a liter of water before going to bed and again the next morning usually does the trick for me. Also, I've found avoiding sugary drinks helps me, especially anything with high fructose corn syrup.
preventative measures: eat lots of food and drink lots of water before going to bed. in college my irish roommate and i would take a giatn glass of water and eat like 6 pieces of white bread while drinking it.
for taste purposes, i'd recommend going to a diner though.
or drink a glass of water between each drink, and eat before going out
those usually lead to the best next days for me
Believe it or not, having frozen blueberries in the fridge and eating them before you go to bed, or in the morning, along with the greasy breakfast. It's probably something about having a dose of vitamin B12 or C to help your immune system. You have to actually have those things in the house though, or be well enough to go get them! Also in a total opposite manner eating some sharp salty cheese works too before bed. or pizza. or anything to soak up the alcohol. or a multivitamin. any of these before bed.
the classic deli egg sandwich with american cheese-AS SOON AS POSSIBLE in the morning. If you wait too long you are too sick to eat!
and yes, drinking as much water as humanly possible.
there's my time tested remedies!
Greasy 12pm breakfast at Kellogg's Diner with coffee, juice, water, and a Coke!
Foods with Zinc before goign out drinking. And B12 or Vitamin C the next morning. And of course vitamin water. The Green Tea revive one works the best for me.
I always get nauseous after a heavy night of drinking. Dramamine is the only thing that ever helps me feel better. It has saved me countless times. It does knock you out for most of the day, though, so don't have too much in the way of plans.
sopa de pancita (a.k.a. menudo) from a mexican restaurant, with a couple of corn tortillas.
V8 first thing in the morning. followed by greasy breakfast/bagel/water. and maybe a bloody mary for severe cases. works wonders.
protein shakes and water
I definitely agree with hydration the night before (I hear that Italians alternate between a glass of wine and a glass of water when they're getting their booze on) and diner breakfast the day after. B vitamins is also a good call. So the only thing new I have to add is ginger tea for a bad stomach. And I mean fresh ginger, grated enough juice squoze into the water to make it uncomfortably hot. I am not one to think much of "natural" or folk-remedies, but fresh ginger tea is miraculous for stomach-settling.
I am with Mark. I would say that as a bartender who has had the fortune (or misfortune?) of working at places with reeeeaaaallly relaxed attitudes about drinking, I have drank more than my fair share (and other people's shares too.) Entire days of my life, flushed literally down down the toilet, because I had a rowdy shfit the night before and drank way too much.
If I can just remember to pop some Advil or Aleve before I pass out fully dressed on my bed, then the next day will be sooo much easier. I may still throw up when I stumble out of bed in the afternoon, but at least I won't have that awful headache!!! Also, keep some kind of juice or seltzer of gingerale in the house. Gatorade is good too. Your body is craving non-alcoholic beverages but sometimes water is the last thing you want. Something sweet that hydrates you and maybe settles your queasy stomach at the same time.
If all else fails, give in an have a shot of something that is not tequila. You may think its the last thing you want, but sometimes the hair of the dog really does the trick.
Finally, stay away from Jaegerbombs, they are delicious but the sugar kills you! So not only do you feel like crap, but you are wide awake also!!
Oh yeah, if you are weak from puking all day and can't bear the thought of actually eating anything, Nutrament shakes are great! You can actually ingest something so you have a little more energy, but you don't have to spend the little precious energy you have chewing.
vitamin b, two advil and a big glass of water before bed if you can remember. egg and cheese sandwich the next day. airborne cold preventer the next day works too.
mcdonald's sausage and egg biscuit combo meal with coffee and an additional three hash browns. it's my airport meal du jour as a lot of times i find myself having to fly home to NYC on a sunday morning. or, if i'm at home, anything spicy. you gotta feel the burn
Xanax or Rhynophol before bed. NO hang over the next day, just a few hazy spots in the memory bank.
I have a friend who swears by PediaSure, but I always go with Gatorade first thing in the morning.
Prevention is the key, I agree. Two Advil Migraine and a couple of glasses of water before bed usually work for me. If I don't remember to do that, Mint Tea and peanut butter on toast in the morning. The mint tea really helps to settle the stomach.
Yes - Gatorade, with an egg sandwich.
advil before you pass out, and wendy's as soon as possible when you finally wake up the next day. of all the greasy fast foods out there, wendy's is the magic hangover cure for me.
Tamales or a full English breakfast work wonders for my inevitable morning headache. Also, make sure you eat something substantial before your first drink; it will jumpstart your stomach so that your bloodstream doesn't get sucker punched by that first drink, however fun that may be.
Pedialyte
It has all the vitamins you lost, is specifically engineered to replenish you,
and has less sugar than gatorade.
Plus it comes in freezer pop form.
So spend the afternoon watching football and eating freezer pops like me.
DoctorD: seeing as how you're not supposed to drink on Xanax, it's probably not a good idea to take it while still drunk.
believe it or not..yoohoo...seriously..and i cant sort out why.
i tend to stick to smart water and a nutiriment shake..if you can remember to take the nutriment and a B complex when you get home you should be pretty safe. rmeember, you're dehydrated, so smartwater/daisani are better options than the tap. this time of year it makes sense to make up a pitcher of the WHO's rehdrating sollution...salk, baking soda, sugar, orange juice and water...proportions are essential, so do be sure too check on them....having it at home definately helps.
Taking advil while drinking/drunk is really bad for your liver
4 or 5 advil and a bottle of water before I jack off at least once and go to bed - ready for action in the Am everytime!
Gatorade and a hangover sandwich (eggs, cheese & ham)
i'm no expert, but if you're that drunk then i would imagine the added damage to your liver done by popping the two advils is probably minimal, no?
Take 1 vitamin B-Complex pill before going out to drink with one large glass of Gatorade, then upon returning home take 2 tylenol with one large glass of Gatorade and I have neve had a hangover after doing it, however if you do it once and you don't do it the next time you will kick yourself in the ass cause you know how good you could have had it.
I think you have to get the vitamins in your system before the alcohol, it doesnt do you any good to take vitamins when you body is already so sick it wont have an effect, take the vitamins before and pre-condition your body for the beating you are about to hand it.
I would like to further support the suggestions of taking B Vitamins. Whenever I go out drinking I take a couple B vitamins with several glasses of water before I pass out. This has dramatically improved the way I feel the morning after.
eat a banana. drink lots of water. puke. not necessarily to be in that order.
Advil (ibuprofen) seems to be fine on your liver but may irritate your stomach, especially with alcohol; Tylenol (acetominephan) combined with drinking can be quite bad for your liver.
a tall glass of water before passing out...two advil and a two tall glasses of water when you wake.
How is no one mentioning smoking grass the whole next day. Advil no good for liver. Oh well. Xanax not to be taken either. too bad. Smoke pot!
2 hard boiled eggs (with salt), that purple Vitamin Water (has potassium in it), and super anti-oxidant green tea (no sweeteners; as is, and keep it strong).
That's always worked for me.
don't take aspirin when you have been drinking. it does a serious number on your liver. serious!!! its worse than drinking.
drink shit loads of water if you can without puking, and take vitamins.